Empower The Village's Upcoming Juneteenth Art Show

Summary

All Of It: Empower The Village's Upcoming Juneteenth Art Show

Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: I.O. Sanderson Wilson, Founder & CEO of Empower the Village
Release Date: May 28, 2025

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Introduction to Empower the Village

In the latest episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart, the spotlight shines on Empower the Village, a data-driven nonprofit dedicated to uplifting the Black community through initiatives centered on prosperity, peace, and power. Joining Stewart is I.O. Sanderson Wilson, Founder and CEO of Empower the Village, who provides an in-depth look into the organization's mission and its upcoming events.

Mission and Vision

Alison Stewart initiates the conversation by delving into the core mission of Empower the Village.

"Empower the Village is a data-driven nonprofit, and we are focused on restoring prosperity, peace, and power to the Black community."
— I.O. Sanderson Wilson [00:41]

Wilson elaborates on the significance of the organization's name, drawing inspiration from the adage "it takes a village."

"We all hear the, you know, the adage, it takes a village. Everyone says it all the time, but it truly does. Any success that I've had or people that I know have had in life, it took a village coming together who cared about a similar thing."
— Wilson [00:53]

The emphasis is on community collaboration, highlighting that collective effort is essential for meaningful progress.

Identifying and Addressing Community Needs

Stewart probes further into the challenges Empower the Village aims to tackle through its initiatives.

"I spent a lot of time practicing law for about 20 years and serving as a volunteer with many organizations. And I always found that people had the heart to solve problems, but they didn't always have the resources or the means to do so."
— Wilson [01:21]

Recognizing the gap between intent and resources, Wilson shares how a comprehensive listening tour informed the nonprofit's strategic pillars: prosperity, peace, and power. These pillars underscore the importance of economic empowerment and community wellness as foundations for success and happiness within the Black community.

A Data-Driven Approach to Empowerment

When questioned about the "data-driven" aspect of their work, Wilson provides clarity on how data informs their strategies.

"We did a lot of research to make sure that we focused our efforts in the geographies where the community we served were, but also what were the solutions."
— Wilson [02:09]

Key insights from their research include the pivotal role of small businesses as engines of wealth in America. By supporting Black-owned businesses, Empower the Village aims to foster economic growth and community prosperity.

Notable initiatives discussed include:

• Black Friday Every Friday: Encouraging support for Black-owned businesses by designating every Friday as Black Friday, aligning with the fact that one out of seven Americans is Black.

"One out of seven Americans is Black. So at least one of seven days, we try to get people to focus on supporting a Black-owned business."
— Wilson [02:27]

Additionally, recognizing that approximately 90% of the Black population resides in 25 states, the organization strategically concentrates its efforts in these areas to maximize impact.

Highlighting the Juneteenth Art Show

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Empower the Village's fifth annual art show, slated for June 21st and 22nd at the Montclair Art Museum.

"If you want to look at, you know, peace, prosperity and power, the arts have it all."
— Wilson [03:34]

Wilson underscores the multifaceted role of the arts in embodying the nonprofit's strategic pillars. The art show serves as a platform to bring peace into the world, support artists' prosperity, and preserve culture through artistic expression. The timing of the event aligns with Juneteenth, recently declared a federal holiday, reinforcing the intersection of art, history, and community empowerment.

Reflecting on the challenges of 2020, including the pandemic and its impact on artists, Wilson emphasizes the importance of providing a resilient platform for artists to showcase their work.

"We don't believe in starving artists. We want them to prosper."
— Wilson [03:34]

Featuring Talented Artists

The art show boasts participation from a diverse array of talented artists, both local and national. Some notable contributors include:

• Ben Jones: A recurring artist from New Jersey who generously donates pieces annually.
• Mason Archie: An exceptional oil painter based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Danielle Scott: An emerging local artist gaining prominence.
• Emmett Wigglesworth, Brian Collier, Kyle Adams: Other notable artists contributing to the diverse collection.

Wilson also fondly recalls Bisa Butler, a prominent artist who was part of the show's early years but is not participating this year.

"Bisa Butler was one of the first artists in a show that I curated almost 20 years ago. Yeah. So she's not in the show this year, unfortunately."
— Wilson [05:34]

How to Engage and Participate

For those interested in attending the art show or learning more about Empower the Village's initiatives, Wilson provides essential information on accessing resources and staying connected.

"Please go to empowerthevillage.org that's our website. And you can go to the events page or you can follow us on Instagram @empoweretv. And of course, you know, we're on LinkedIn, so Empower the Village."
— Wilson [05:42]

He reiterates the details of the upcoming art show:

"Our 5th Annual Art Show, happening June 21st and 22nd."
— Wilson [06:01]

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with gratitude expressed to Wilson for shedding light on Empower the Village's impactful work and the significance of the Juneteenth Art Show. Listeners are encouraged to support the event and engage with the nonprofit's ongoing efforts to empower the Black community through culture, economic support, and community wellness.

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For more information:
Visit empowerthevillage.org
Follow on Instagram: @empoweretv
Connect on LinkedIn: Empower the Village

Transcript

[A]

This is all of it from wnyc. I'm Alison Steward. We just talked about an exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum, but we wanted to mention one more thing happening there. It will be the site of an art fair celebrating Juneteenth. The nonprofit Empower the Village will be holding its fifth annual art show. It's happening on the weekend of June 21st and 22nd. Joining me now with a preview is founder CEO IO Sanderson Wilson. IO, welcome to all of it.

[B]

Thank you so much, Alison. We're thrilled to be here.

[A]

Tell me a little bit about the mission behind Empower the Village.

[B]

Sure. So Empower the Village is a data driven nonprofit, and we are focused on restoring prosperity, peace, and power to the black community.

[A]

Why did you decide to call it Empower the Village?

[B]

Well, you know, we all hear the, you know, the adage, it takes a village. Everyone says it all the time, but it truly does. Any success that I've had or people that I know have had in life, it took a. It took people coming together who cared about a similar thing. A person sometimes, or it could be a movement, and that's how you make progress. So we want to empower the village, and we're trying to bring that village together.

[A]

What did you see as a problem that you thought you could solve through a nonprofit?

[B]

Well, it's interesting. I spent a lot of time practicing law for about 20 years and serving as a volunteer with many organizations. And I always found that people had the heart to solve problems, but they didn't always have the resources or the to do so. And I felt like if we would listen to the communities that we want to serve and then figure out what works, we had something. And so we spent two years doing a listening tour with the community of different generations to understand what they thought was important for us to focus on. And that's how we landed on our strategic pillars of prosperity, peace and power, because economic empowerment and community wellness really are the keys to success and happiness in life.

[A]

You mentioned you were data driven. What does that mean exactly?

[B]

Oh, many things. So we did a lot of research to make sure that we focused our efforts in the geographies where the community we served were, but also what were the solutions. So we found that in our research. Small business is the engine of wealth in America. Anyone who's doing really well either inherited a business or started a business. They own property, they own assets. And so we looked at that and said, how do we empower the community we want to serve by supporting their businesses? Right. How do we make sure they have the information that they need to soar economically and to help the community around them? So small business is a big focus of ours. And also just wellness, emotional wellness. Right. And so all of our programs, whether it's our movement around making every Friday Black Friday, encouraging people to support black owned businesses. One out of seven Americans is black. So at least one of seven days, we try to get people to focus on supporting a black owned business. We've also pinpointed exactly where those businesses are. So they're about 90% of the black population of the US lives in 25 states. So we do our work in those areas and counties where we have the most people who we're trying to serve under our umbrella.

[A]

Let's go to the art show. This is your fifth annual show? Yes.

[B]

Fifth anniversary? Yes.

[A]

So why did you start with an art show? How does art show apply to the mission of Empower the Village?

[B]

Well, if you want to look at, you know, peace, prosperity and power, the arts have it all. I mean, that is our opportunity to bring more peace into the world to help our artists. I don't believe in starving artists. We want them to prosper. Right. To support them, and then empowerment. So art is all about capturing a moment and a feeling in history. It preserves culture. And at the time, it was 2020 when the world shut down, as we all know, and just finished an art show for Black History month. And in 2021, we want to continue it. We knew that these artists needed a platform with museums closing and all of these things happening. So we connected with our partner, Montclair Art Museum, and had an indoor outdoor festival of arts. And it happened to be around Juneteenth, and it happened also to be the first year that it was declared a federal holiday. So Juneteenth and the arts and prosperity and peace all go together.

[A]

Who are some of the artists who are participating?

[B]

Well, we're really lucky. We have dozens of extraordinarily talented artists that are participating and almost 100 exquisite works of art in the show. Yeah. So we're going to be at Montclair Art Museum, as you said, in Lear Hall. But we've been so happy to know that as the years have gone by, we have expanded the number of artists. But Ben Jones, who is a very talented artist out of New Jersey, participates every year and donates pieces to us. Mason Archie, who's an incredible oil painter out of Indianapolis, Indiana. We have local artists like Danielle Scott, who's an emerging artist. We have so many more. Emmett Wigglesworth has pieces in our show. Brian Collier, Kyle Adams, who is the son of Alonzo Adams. And it's so funny. I was listening to, I listened to your show all the time. But one of the shows that you had was Bisa Butler. So Bisa Butler was one of the first artists in a show that I curated almost 20 years ago. Yeah. So she's not in the show this year, unfortunately. She's a, you know, visa. Butler has skyrocketed since 20 years ago.

[A]

I want to make sure people know where to get information. Where can they go for the to know more about the show.

[B]

Yeah. So please go to empowerthevillage.org that's our website. And you can go to the events page or you can follow us on Instagram @empoweretv. And of course, you know, we're on LinkedIn, so empower the Village. You can connect with us on LinkedIn and we'd be happy to see you. We have an early BIR and through.

[A]

June 1st that is going to be Empower the Village's 5th Annual Art show, happening June 21st and 22nd. Founder and CEO I.O. sanderson Wilson. Thank you for joining us.

[B]

Thank you for having me.